Narrated in a bold, fearless, hilarious voice and set against the lush, panoramic backdrop of Hawaii,The Descendantsis a stunning debut novel about an unconventional family forced to come together and re-create its own legacy. Matthew King was once considered one of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors were financially and culturally progressive–one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a royal descendant and one of the state’s largest landowners. Now his luck has changed. His two daughters are out of control: Ten-year-old Scottie is a smart-ass with a desperate need for attention, and seventeen-year-old Alex, a former model, is a recovering drug addict. Matt’s charismatic, thrill-seeking, high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident and will soon be taken off life support.

[even though this part is out there, still felt guilty, so made a "spoiler"]

Spoiler:

The Kings can hardly picture life without her, but as they come to terms with this tragedy, their sadness is mixed with a sense of freedom that shames them–and spurs them into surprising actions. Before honoring Joanie’s living will, Matt must gather her friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation made worse by the sudden discovery that there is one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair, quite possibly the one man she ever truly loved. Forced to examine what he owes not only to the living but to the dead, Matt takes to the road with his daughters to find his wife’s lover, a memorable journey that leads to both painful revelations and unforeseen humor and growth.

[taken from a library website]

LOL, after using the "spoiler" realized it will come out in order for us to discuss.

Last edited by sisieq on Fri 21 Jan 2011, 06:58; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added last sentence)

The book doesn"t have much dialogue, more of the father"s thoughts. Talked to someone who read the script and person said there is alot of voice overs from George"s character.

Scottie wears t-shirts with crazy sayings. The first time its mentioned her shirt says "Mrs. Clooney". But been told by the person who read the script that she doesn"t wear that one. Since they cast George, I would think that may not come across well with the general public. He gets ripped by people and gossip press for going out with younger women, that I think if the little girl wore that shirt in the movie, the jokes would be really bad at the expense of the little girl - even though it was written in the book. We'll know later this year if what this person told me holds true.

Person I "talked" with was over on IMDB

Last edited by sisieq on Fri 21 Jan 2011, 06:56; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added last sentence)

I was wondering if they'd replace the "Mrs. Clooney" shirt with a "Team Angie" or a "Brangelina 4Eva" shirt or something. As kind of an inside joke.

Sisieq, you said the word I have feared most. . . VOICEOVERS. Good god. GTC totally phones it in from a sound booth (hated what he did to Mr. Fox). Crap. Luckily, the narrator's voice is kind of dry and stiff, so it will probably work.

Last edited by PigLove on Sun 23 Jan 2011, 15:54; edited 1 time in total

* When Matt walks in on Scottie while she's playacting in front of the mirror, then talks to Sid about it.

* Matt & Sid, basically everything.

* When Matt "forces" Scottie and Alex to hold their mother's hands in the hospital.

* Kissing his wife's lover's wife. On the lips.

In many ways, Matt King is Clooneyesque. It's not mentioned whether he's handsome, but it's easy to believe he is. He's well-known on the islands, part of a "famous" family, and everyone assumes he's rich and powerful. The interesting part is that he's not rich and powerful, b/c of the way he's been avoiding his legacy.

Very Clooney: "It's embarrassing how much strangers think they know about me, and how many people, my cousins especially, are waiting to see what I'll do."

Also: "Patients don't like that I'm somebody, but don't they realize that you don't want to be somebody in a hospital? You want to be nobody, in and out and forgotten."

Just checking the IMDB credits list and can't figure out who's playing the wife. In the book, her name is "Joanie," but that role isn't listed. Instead, there's an "Elizabeth King." But there's a woman without a name. And who would Beau Bridges play? I want Joanie in flashbacks. Grrrr. Screenplays are a mystery to me.

Do you think this movie is going to ROCK OUR WORLD or suck like a sump pump? I'd make a poll, but I think we should be able to change our minds as we learn more.

PS: I hate flood control! 60 seconds seems like an eternity. I'm just going to keep typing for 60 seconds so you can all see how long it really is. Typing typing typing endlessly endlessly endlessly AAAAHHHHHH!!! Maybe it's because I'm such a fast typer. Remember when typing was a valuable skill? Now everybody does it from age 5. Sigh.

Totally. They spend a lot of the beginning and end of the book in the hospital room. Of course, she's in a coma there. But her character is really important, like how wild and flirtatious and kind of oppressive she was for the whole family.

Spoiler:

THAT's part of Matt's growth arc, that he realizes how much better his family's life will be without her.

IMO that's because he usually doesn't have to do anything with the kids in any of the films. In Michael Clayton all the did with his son was drive him places. The children are basically expendable plot devices to make you think 'oh, nice family man'.

PigLove wrote:Actually, not TOO many flashbacks. They can be overused, after all.

Okay, I'm going to film school. Be right back!

PS: I hate flood control! 60 seconds seems like an eternity. I'm just going to keep typing for 60 seconds so you can all see how long it really is. Typing typing typing endlessly endlessly endlessly AAAAHHHHHH!!! Maybe it's because I'm such a fast typer. Remember when typing was a valuable skill? Now everybody does it from age 5. Sigh.

You guy are so funny !

When I get flood control, I switch to other websites, crossreading ya know !

I am posting a link of Rob Hueble interview. Also, I will paste here what he said about working with Clooney. leas, feel free to put somewhere else.

The last question I have is you have a movie with George Clooney coming up later this year–The Descendents. What was it like working with someone as huge as George Clooney? Was that an amazing experience?

It’s embarrassing, because you realize what an inferior human you are. You do a scene with George Clooney and its like ‘Oh! This is what a good-looking person looks like, this guy!’ And its like ‘Oh, this is what people say when they are funny’, because he is like really funny! So you go away feeling really bad about yourself, but you feel really good about George Clooney.

But no, he really is the nicest dude. It makes you just want to murder him because he is super nice and really down-to-earth, its like ‘You don’t have to be that way. You can treat me like shit! If you want to use me as a footstool – Yes! You can do that!’ He is super nice, and it makes you feel really bad about yourself. You’re not ever gonna be as good as that guy is.